The present invention relates to a device for carrying and moving loads that are heavy and large. More particularly, the invention relates to a combination of two rails and a sliding plate that is movable along these rails by the action of a hydraulic jack.
Objects that weight several hundred tons such as transformers, machines and the like may be extremely large and bulky to transport. Since these devices must be moved with precision to place them where they must be installed, proper control over the movement of such devices is time consuming and requires complex devices with high demands in energy because the friction for moving such objects is great.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,174 discloses a device for use to move large and heavy objects. This device includes a pair of parallel rails provided with anchoring structures all over their length. A load-supporting shoe and an actuator supporting shoe connected to each other by a power jack actuator are slidably mounted on each rail. Extension or retraction of the power jack actuator when the actuator-supporting shoes are hold by the anchoring structures in a stationary position causes the load-supporting shoes and the load carried by the same to be moved forwards or rearwards over a given distance along the rails. Of course, such a movement can be repeated after the actuator-supporting shoes are anchored again in another stationary position.
The device disclosed in this patent is quite efficient. However, it is bulky and it does not provide any means for reducing and/or adjusting the degree of friction which may be very high, between the rails and the, load-supporting shoes.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an improved device which can be used to move large and heavy loads while installing or relocating the same.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device for moving large and heavy loads, which device is made of modular elements that are easy to carry from one location to the next.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for moving large and heavy loads where the degree of friction between the rails and the carrying plate can be changed at will.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for moving large and heavy loads where the surface contact of the rail and the plates that slide against each other can be made of high friction or low friction material in the form of interchangeable pads.